The Chronicles of the Super Mario Brothers
by Mushroom Pie
Summary: This is a noveization of the entire series of Mario games, starting all the way back with Donkey Kong. There'll be some changes, but for the most part I'll try to stay as true to the games as I can.
1. Chapter 1: A Man TwiceNamed Mario

**Book I: Donkey Kong**

**Chapter 1: A Man Twice-Named Mario**

"Wa-hay-hay-hay, all you crazy New Yorkers! It's tiiiiiime to wake up! Looks like there's a big traffic backup on the Brooklyn Bridge this morning, so be sure to head for work earl-"

Click. With the groggy push of a button, the obnoxious radio announcer was silenced. The man responsible for the sudden quiet sat up in bed and elicited a loud, low yawn, his breath making his thick, black mustache waver a little. He turned, and peered at over his bulbous nose at the clock with his large blue eyes, still blury from sleep. Despite his original purpose, he never actually registered the time. Instead, he tiredly decided that the time was "time to get up," and slowly made his way into the shower adjacent to his bedroom.

He was a somewhat overwheight man, though "fat" might be a slight exaggeration. Unkempt brown hair adorned the top of his head, which reached only five foot six inches into the air, making the fellow rather short. As he dried off from the shower, he put on a long-sleeved red shirt of coarse, somewhat thick material, and a pair of blue denim overalls on over it. He pulled some white work gloves on, and buried his feet in a pair of brown shoes. Finally, he grabbed a red cap on his nightstand on the way out of his room, decorated with a white circle on the front, which contained a big, red "M."

His name was Mario. Mario Mario. Certainly a strange name any way you look at it. He was originally going to be named Luigi Mario, but there was apparently some sort of mix-up when his birth-certificate was being filled out. His father, who had a bit of a mischevious streak in him, decided to keep the name as it was. By the time Mario was old enough to change the name himself, he was used to it. Still half-asleep, he descended the staircase of his cramped apartment.

"Mmmm... Smells good Luigi. What's cookin'?" Mario asked as his large nostrils were filled with aromas that promised breakfast. His younger brother, who had received Mario's orginally intended name, turned away from the frying pan he was tending to.

"Nothin' special. Just bacon and eggs."

"Sounds great," Mario replied as he took a seat at the small round table in the center of the kitchen. His brother was dressed almost identically to him, with the exception of green residing in all the places you would find red on Mario's clothes. Luigi's cap also bore an "L" rather than an "M." Luigi Mario was the taller and thinner of the two, and his hair and mustache were much more neat. He was the more responsible of the two brothers, and some times even acted as a parental figure to his somewhat immature big brother.

Luigi shoveled the food onto a plate, which he placed in front of his brother, who immediate dug in.

"Say, what time is it anyway, Luigi?"

"Uh..." Luigi said absent-mindedly as he checked the clock in the corner. "About 11:00." A loud clatter filled the room as Mario's silverware fell to the table. Luigi looked at him with a disapproving gaze.

"You're late for work again, aren't you?" Mario threw his chair backwards and leapt out of his seat, dashing out the door before his brother had the opportunity to scold him. With a sigh, Luigi picked up his brother's plate and ran it under the sink.

The two lived together, in a tiny appartment in Brooklyn, just across from the family business, the Mario Plumbing Co., which was currently run by Luigi. Mario had nothing to do with the business; in fact, you would be hard pressed to say exactly which business Mario did have anything to do with. At a younger age, he had showed quite a bit of promise. He graduated high school at the top of his class, and went on to medical school. However, after a bit of an... accident... he was expelled. Since then, he bounced around aimlessly from job to job. He must have done hundreds of them by now. All of them ended the same way; Mario's irresponsibility ultimately led to the loss of the job. And this morning, it seemed as though history would once more repeat itself. Mario peddled away at his bycicle madly (he lost his driver's license many years ago), trying to get to his job in time. Currently, he was working as a carpenter at a construction site, but it didn't seem like this would be true for much longer.

However, for all of his flaws, for all of his mistakes, Mario did have one thing in his life that made him happy. One of the only things he had ever done right was to never let this perfect part of his life slip away from him.

He had a girlfriend, named Pauline.


	2. Chapter 2: Pauline

**Chapter 2: Pauline**

"Yer late, Mario." The gruff voice brought the speeding bike to an immediate halt, and Mario nearly found himself flying off of the seat from his own intense momentum. He turned to see the foreman of the building, Mr. Spike. He was a sickeningly fat, hairy man, wearing a sleeveless T-shirt soaked with sweat-stains. A smoking cigar jutted from his mouth, and a dirty construction helmet sitting crookedly on his head. He was a completely deplorable man, and one had to wonder how he managed to maintain even a single friendship.

"I'm really sorry, sir. My alarm clock went off late." Mr. Spike looked Mario over for a few moments, taking a few puffs of his cigar.

"Lemme tell ya somethin', kid. I ain't a patient man. Der's thousands a' guys in New York who could do yer job. I dun care how many hammas ya can juggle. All's I know is, if ya wanna keep yer job, I'd be kissin' up plenny if I was ya." Mario hung his head a little.

"I understand, sir."

"Good. Now get ta work!" Mr. Spike gave Mario a hard smack on the back, and then treaded off to cause difficulties for another of his workers. Grumbling under his breath, Mario grabbed a yellow helmet out of his bike's basket, and strapped it on. He walked over to where a large wooden mallet, and a large collection of nails and boards lay. Mario set to work immediately, knowing that this time of day was the best. Before noon, the large skeleton of a skyscraper that rose into the sky behind him cast a shadow over his work area, supplying him with a much appreciated cover from the hot summer sun.

As you may have inferred from Mr. Spike's earlier comment, Mario was quite adept at weilding hammers. Just about anything you could think about doing with a hammer, Mario could do. For the most part, this was a useless talent, but one that Mario constantly refined, nonetheless.

Despite the opportune time of day, and the carpenter's incomprehensible skill with his tool, it was still back-breaking labor, and he was in much need of a break by one. Fortunately, one presented itself, in the form of the woman who lends her name to this chapter.

Mario knew she was nearby immediately when he heard the screeching of tires; Pauline was an absolutely terrible driver. However, Mario liked to think that the sound rather came from some man who had seen her on the sidewalk, and had screeched to a halt in awe of her beauty. _That's right,_ the poor idealistic fool would think. _Just because you have that Ferari doesn't mean I'm not better than you._

While perhaps not as much so as her adoring boyfriend enjoyed to think, Pauline was certainly a beautiful young woman, quite capable of turning the occasional head. Shimmering brown hair flowed down her neck to just below her shoulders, and contrasted with her milky-white skin. As she rounded the corner, Mario saw that she was wearing a very sightly red dress. A leather purse was draped over her arm, while her opposite hand held rested a black umbrella on her shoulder. Quizzically, her form was further shaded by a yellow sun hat, adorned with a bow.

As she approached, Mario dropped his mallet to the ground and headed towards her. The two shared a short kiss, and then Pauline looked down at him and smiled.

"Your lunch break is about now, isn't it? Where would you like to go?"

"Nowhere. I've gotta work through lunch today if I wanna keep this stupid job," Mario replied glumly as he sat down on a large, red, metal beam which sat askew next to the future building. Pauline sat next to him, frowning.

"Mario, not again."

"I know, I know... But don't worry, It'll be okay this time, I promise." The curiosity finally got to Mario. "What's with the sunhat?"

"Hm? What do you mean? It's hot out here!"

"So, why the umbrella?"

"Well, you never know when it might rain!" Pauline said with a small giggle. The two were interrupted suddenly by a loud, obnoxious voice above them. In true form, one of the construction workers two floors up actually thought that shouting at whatever girl crossed his eye might get him a date.

"Hey, good lookin'! How's 'bout you lose the midget, an' you an' me-" the man was cut off abruptley as a large, wooden mallet found itself striking him in the face, rendering the poor dope unconscious. The hammer fell and landed next to him. Mario looked up at the man with frustration, while Pauline showed a look of concern for a few moments, until Mario continued their conversation as though the whole situation had never happened.

"So, anything goin' on with you?" Pauline suddenly perked up.

"Have you heard the news lately?"

"Why? What's happening?"

"Some scientists just captured the most intellegent ape known to man. What was its name now? Don... Donkey... Donkey Kong! That was it! He understands when people talk to him and everything! And they've got him at the Bronx Zoo for the next week! We've _got _to go see him some time, Mario!"

"Hm. Donkey Kong, huh? Yeah, sounds interesting. When do you want to-"

"MARIO! I DUN HEAR ANY HAMMERIN' GOIN' ON OVA DER!" Mario suddenly jumped upright.

"Oh jeez, you better get outta here. I'll talk to you later, all right?" With that, and a kiss on the cheek, Mario sent Pauline on her way.


	3. Chapter 3: A King in Imprisonment

**Chapter 3: A King in Imprisonment**

The various animals stared at the vast number of humans that flooded around their steel cells. There was a great wave of anticipation in the air, the weight of which was escaped by no living thing. The animals didn't understand what all the excitement was about. It was just another animal. Why was this one so special to their strange captors?

The crowd was almost silent for nearly fifteen minutes, all staring waitingly at a large cage, covered with a curtain. Finally, A sharply-dressed man in sunglasses pushed his way towards the cage, a wireless microphone in hand. A few people clapped as they realized that the show was about to get underway, but most were still silent, still waiting for the curtain to be removed.

The announcer took advantage of this silent anticipation, and took a few long minutes to survey the crowd. Finally, he rose the microphone to his mouth.

"Ladies and gentlemen, for hundreds of years now, scientists have searched for the elusive 'missing link,' the missing piece in the biological puzzle that links us to the apes. I say, whole-heartedl,y that the beast waiting below this sheet may just be what they've been looking for. According to tests conducted, this creature has an IQ of 82, just 18-that's right, 18-points below an average human IQ. This is no trick. This is no gimmick. This is only the one, the only... Donkey Kong!"

As the announcer completed his speech, he dramatically pulled the tarp off of the cage, eliciting a massive applause from the audience. Within the cage, which was decorated with ropes and tires, sat a large gorilla-like ape, a ragged red tie around it's neck, which had a "D" and a "K" situated around a star printed on it in yellow. Despite the massive excitement produced by the human audience, the atmosphere on the other side of the bars was quite different. Donkey Kong's stern expression loudly telegraphed his severe lack of desire to be there.

"8', 3" tall," the announcer continued. "487 pounds of raw muscle. Say, DK," the announcer suddenly addressed the ape, who gave a small snort of recogniton.

"Whaddya say we show these folks just what you can do? Why don't you bend that metal bar in your cage there?" Donkey Kong turned and looked scornfully at the thick steel bar that the announcer had referenced to. The announcer turned back to the audience, assuming the ape would play his part in the show.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as you can see, not only is Donkey Kong intellegent enough to understand my command, he is also powerful enough to carry the task out... Eh, er, DK?" The announcer had turned back to the gorrilla, who hadn't moved an inch.

"Come on, you stupid monkey!" the announcer growled quietly through his teeth. Donkey Kong just glared at him. The announcer turned back to the audience.

"Well, er, uh, looks like he's being a little stubborn folks." The announcer grinned stupidly, ashamed at his inability to deliver to the crowd. "Well, uh, we don't call him Donkey Kong for nothing!" The announcer suddenly stumbled forward from the force of a large glob of transparent slime that had just impacted the back of his head; Donkey Kong, to put it bluntly, hawked a lugy at him. Immediately, the crowd burst into roarous laughter, which irritated the apes ears incredibly.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!" He screamed in his native language as he beat the steel bar against the bars of his cage violently, though the crowd heard nothing but monkey sounds.

"Hey there, buddy, calm down!" The announcer said smugly. This only infuriated the beast further, and he screamed nonsensical noises at the announcer, much to the delight of the crowd.

Over the course of the day, Donkey Kong had to suffer through four shows, all of which had happened in a similar fashion. And yet not even in between the shows was he granted peace. After the first show, the tarp had been left off so that passers-by could look at the beast, and he constantly suffered from people throwing peanuts at him, young boys poking him with sticks, people taunting him with banannas, and people constantly trying to coax the ape into doing some ridiculous act for them. He refused to ever comply with any of them. He was too stubborn; too proud.

He was completely worn down from his first day as a zoo exhibit by about seven o'clock. And here he had thought his previous turmoils had been bad; being assaulted by men with nets and tranquilizer guns in the jungle, and then forced to hole up in a crate barely large enough to hold him for a two week trek across the ocean to New York. Just when he had thought about trying to hide away in a dark corner of his cage, his ears perked up to the sound of a small scurrying. He turned quickly, and grinned for the first time in many weeks. Hanging by its tail from one of the bars of the cell was a round-bellied chimp, a red T-shirt stretched tightly over his torso, and a red baseball cap snugly wrapped around its cranium.

"Diddy! It's great to see you again!" Donkey Kong said excitedly. Diddy nodded with a smile.

"You too. We didn't think we'd ever find you again. What's goin' on, anyway?"

"I don't really know. The humans call this place a 'zoo.' The way I understand, the sadists like to lock animals up in here and torture them for their own enjoyment."

"Wow, sounds rough."

"You don't know the half of it. Anyway, how are things at home?"

"Not good. Candy and DK Jr. are so depressed without you around. K. Rool's forces are planning an attack. And then..." he trailed off suddenly.

"And then what?" Donkey Kong asked, worried about what else could possibly go wrong.

"It's... it's Cranky, DK." The imprisoned ape gasped in shock. "He's sick. Real sick. To be honest, I don't know how much longer he'll be... well... you know..." Donkey Kong buried his head in his hands.

"Cranky... Dad..." He looked up at Diddy, who sported an empathetic frown.

"Listen. I need outta here. I don't know how much longer I can take it, and you guys need me back home. Help me." Diddy scratched his chin thoughtfully for a few moments.

"Have you tried just breaking through the bars?"

"I can't. They're pretty strong, and if anyone notices me trying, humans with those sleeping darts show up."

"Hmm... Lemme see if I can find anything on the outside that might help." With that, the small chimp scampered off. Donkey Kong was distracted from watching his friend when he heard more human voices.

"Oh, darn, looks like we missed the show."

"Ah well, we can at least check the monkey out."

Mario and Pauline looked at the beast for a few moments, Diddy masterfully remaining out of sight, while still searching the cage. Suddenly, something caught his eye.

"Hello, what's this?" It was a thick, metal half-circle, connected to a ring that went around two of the cell's bars. A strangely shaped hole was in the middle of it. Curiously, Diddy began to tinker with it.

"Hey, I betcha I can peg the monkey with this rock from way back here."

"Dude, you're on!" the two kids were terribly indiscrete about their plans, as both Mario and Pauline overheard them, and immediately headed towards them, reaching them just as one of them launched a stone at the gorilla's cage. Sternly, Mario swiped the handful of rocks away from the kids.

"Didn't your parents teach you any better than that? How would you like it if some one was throwing rocks at you like that?" The two shrugged Mario off with a "pfft" and a "whatever," and walked off nonchalantly. Mario shook his head.

"Kids.'

"They can be absolutely dreadful some times," Pauline said in agreeance.

Donkey Kong, who still had his back turned to the humans, suddenly felt a terribly sharp pain on the back of his head. Turning, he found a large rock lying in his cage. He peered out and saw a short, overweight man with a handful of similar stones. Logic and tranquility vanished instantly, probably in fear of the beast's terrible temper. Picking up the metal bar from before, he beat more violently than ever at the cell, screaming the whole time. Mario looked at him, shaking his head.

"Look at him. Those kids really got him riled up."

"Almost there," Diddy muttered as he continued to tinker with the padlock.

"I know. Just look at him! It's frightening, isn't it?"

"Just a little more..."

"A little. But just remember, we've got those steel bars between us. We're perfectlly safe."

"I think I've..."

"Yep, there's absolutely no way at all that the big lug can get at us. No way at-"

"GOT IT!" Mario stopped short as he heard a metallic creaking, and both he and Pauline looked in horror as the front of the cell swung open. The beast spared no time in charging out of the cell, pounding his gigantic fists against the concrete ground as he sprinted fowards. Both of them turned to run, but the ape jumped into the air suddenly and landing with a terrifying crash, right on top of Mario. Pauline screamed, and immediately drew the creature's attention. He picked her up with his massive hands and slung her over his shoulder, as she screamed and pounded at his back. He turned back to the barely conscious Mario.

"You humans!" Donkey Kong yelled, though it went without understanding on Mario's part. "You have taken away from me everything that I love! And now, I will do the same! And I start with this girl!" He then turned and ran off. Mario reached out an arm toward his beloved Pauline and her kidnapper. Fighting off the desire to slip into unconsciousness, he struggled to his feet, and persued the two as quickly as his aching body would allow.


	4. Chapter 4: The Stranger's Shortcut

**Chapter 4: The Stranger's Shortcut  
**

"...It's... No use... Can't... catch him..." Mario wheezed as he rested against the brick wall of a building. He had long since lost sight of both Donkey Kong and Pauline, and had futilly following the trail of destruction that the ape left in its wake. If only Pauline had dropped her purse when Donkey Kong lifted her. Had she, Mario would have been able to get her car keys. But, unfortunately, this was not the case. Just as he was going to sorrowfully give up, he heard a voice.

"Police are at a loss as to what to do, and are waiting for zoo officials to arrive." Mario threw his head up. 12 identical news reporters looked at him for a few seconds from behind the window of the electronics store, before being replaced with an image of none other than Donkey Kong. Slowly, the camera zoomed out as the beast beat his chest, Pauline huddled in fear near him, her dress somewhat ragged and torn. Mario's eyes opened wide as the camera continued to zoom out.

"That's the... construction site!" he said aloud as realization dawned on him. He turned and looked in the general direction of his place of employment. The path of totalled cars and cracked sidewalks certainly seemed to head in that direction.

"You look like a man who could use some help," said a high-pitched, and yet at the same time gruff voice that broke Mario out of his trance. He looked around for the source of the voice, but couldn't see anyone.

"Down here!" it called again. Mario looked down, and found a person, not three feet tall, standing at his feet. His entire body was covered in a navy blue robe, which quizzically bloomed outward at the hood, making the person's head look nearly as large as their body. The miniscule figure's face was completely covered in shadow, except for two small eyes, which shined ever so slightly.

"Heh, sorry about that. Not used to people being shorter than me."

"Don't start with that," the strange person, assumedly a man, said angrily, as though he had taken severe offense to the comment. "Now listen, I'm trying to help you out a little, so let's keep this civil. Why don't you start by telling me just what's wrong?"

"Uh, sure, sorry," Mario said, feeling a little awkward. This strange little man was no doubt wasting his time, which was something he couldn't afford to waste. Still, he felt as though there was absolutely nothing he could do to avoid speaking with him.

"I'm sure you've heard about it; it's all over the news. That monkey, Donkey Kong, he somehow got loose, and he kidnapped my girlfriend. The two are across town, at the construction site where I work. If I don't hurry, he could hurt her, or worse..." Mario's head sank along with his spirits as he thought of Pauline being torn apart by the gorilla.

"Calm yourself, friend. I think that I can help you. Follow me." The little fellow took off into the street. If he cared about oncoming traffic at all, he certainly didn't show it. Cautiously, Mario followed him.

The little man looked about a little, until apparently spotting what he was searching for. He ran towards a man-hole, and with great effort, lifted the cover off.

"If you head down here, you'll be taken exactly where you want to be." Mario looked at the man skeptically, then examined the manhole. The rim of it was colored bright, metallic green, and strangely looked as though it's coat of paint was brand new. He peered down it and saw nothing but darkness.

"I don't know..." The absurdity of the small man's declaration hadn't even struck Mario; he was more concerned with his safety than anything.

"Go on, you'll be fine." Mario looked at the man-hole for a few more seconds.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Oh, for Shroom's sake!" The small man threw his hands up in frustration, and then ran and shoved the unsuspecting Mario into the green man-hole.


	5. Chapter 5: Climb

**Chapter 5: Climb**

Time faded away within the darkness, and Mario wasn't sure whether if had been minutes or hours before he emerged again. He just kept falling, falling, falling. But then, something sudden. He started falling in the other direction, landing with a thud on the hard asphalt of the street. As his eyes adjusted to the light of the twilight, he clambered to his feet in a confused daze. He looked around. There was a large crowd in front of him, and a few police cars. he looked forward and upward, and was stunned to see the large red metal beams of the construction site. High above the ground were the vague figures of none other than Donkey Kong and Pauline. Instantly, he charged forward through the crowd. As he neared the entrance, which was blocked by a police barricade, he spotted Mr. Spike.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Aw, i's awful, Mario!" he said, clearly worried. "Da palice can't shoot dat monkey down, 'cause he's a 'endange-ad species' er some garbage like that. They got guys from da zoo comin' down ta tranq 'im, but in da meantime... look!" Mario gazed upwards at Pauline, still trembling in fear.

"I know, sir. We've gotta save her."

"Eh? Save who?"

"What?"

"D'only thing that needs savin' right now is my buildin'!" Mario looked back. Some of the beams were becoming loose, and the cable for the lift had snapped.

"In addition ta that," the disconcerted foreman continued, "he spilled about six er seven barrels a' oil when 'e came stormin' in here. An', he's been lobbin' barrels a' gasoline fer da construction machines at us from up top! Dis is gonna cost me a fortune!" Mario just looked at the greedy man in shock. He hadn't even _noticed _Pauline. He was just concerned with keeping his pockets lined. Not unlike Donkey Kong before him, a rage overtook Mario, and before he knew what he had done, Mr. Spike was lying unconscious with a broken nose, and Mario's fist was a little numb.

He turned and leapt over the barracade, ignoring the shouts of the officers behind him. He made a beeline for a ladder that led up to the second story, but dodged to the side suddenly as a large wooden barrel came crashing down right where he was standing. It broke open instantly, splashing gasoline everywhere. Undeterred, Mario dashed forward, and grabbed the ladder, scrambling up it as quickly as he could. As he reached the top, he had to jump immediately to avoid being knocked off by another barrel that was rolling towards him. The barrel continued as he fell back onto the thin, crooked beam, and rolled off onto the ground, breaking open.

Mario dashed for the ladder leading to the second story, but stopped suddenly and gripped the ladder tight as he heard the barrel slam down on the beam above him, then bounce down and shatter on the beam he had just departed. Still determined, he continued his climb. He stopped, however, when he found an object that was lying on the beam. It was a very familiar object, and he smiled as he reached down and picked it up.

It was the sledge hammer he had thrown at the construction worker earlier that day.


	6. Chapter 6: Battle Amidst the Steel

**Chapter 6: Showdown Amidst the Steel and Flame**

Mario's ears perked up suddenly as he heard another barrel rolling towards him. Lifting the hammer high above his head, he slammed the weapon down hard on the oncoming barrel, causing the would to splinter and break. Gasoline splashed out everywhere, soaking the beams. Mario charged forward as he saw another barrel heading for him. He swung his hammer sideways, knocking the barrel off of the structure completely. He neared the ladder leading up to the third story. He threw the hammer upwards with great force, knocking a barrel directly above him out of the way. Mario scrambled up the ladder, catching the hammer as he approached the top of the ladder.

The beam above him rumbled as Donkey Kong leapt up and down on it, screaming. Suddenly, another barrel was dispatched, hitting the beam that Mario was on and bouncing towards him. Mario, undeterred, somersaulted underneath of it, and ran ahead as he heard the barrel break open behind him. He made a mad dash for the final ladder, and climbed it as quickly as he could.

Donkey Kong, upon seeing Mario's head appear, growled in frustration as he grabbed the last of the gasoline-filled barrels. He lobbed it under-handed, and it rolled towards the opposite end of the beam quickly. Mario leapt onto the beam, and then jumped once more, landing on the barrel. With a third and final jump, he leapt towards the beast, rearing his hammer back. Donkey Kong likewise pulled back one of his massive fists. Pauline let out a scream as the two struck each other at the same time, Mario flying backwards from the impact of Donkey Kong's fist. Pain coursing through his head, Mario struggled to his feet. He couldn't close his mouth properly; his jaw was broken. Donkey Kong massaged the spot where Mario had hit him, and the two looked onwards at each other scornfully.

An ambulance had arrived by now for Mr. Spike, who was now awake and cursing.

"Bah, I need a smoke," he finally declared as he brandished a cigar and a match. After lighting the cigar, he absent mindedly cast the match aside, much to everyone's chagrin.

"Eh? What're all a' ya yellin' about?" He turned to the construction site. his still-lit match had landed in the spilled oil, setting it aflame. The fire rapidly consumed all of the oil, and found a second course in the form of the gasoline that coated the building. Within a few moments, the entire structure was aflame, concealing the small forms of Donkey Kong, Pauline, and Mario above. Mr. Spike pulled at his hair.

"This is gonna cost me a fortune."

Sweat began to form on the two combatants, but neither was about to try and escape the flaming structure. Not until the other was defeated. Mario lowered his head slightly, his arms dangling at his sides, one hand gripping the hammer tightly.

"Give me back my girlfriend." And thus the battle between man and ape began.

Donkey Kong charged towards Mario, and threw his fist violently fowards. Mario ducked and rolled underneath of the massive fist, understanding that if he received one more blow, he wouldn't be getting back up. He turned and swung the mallet at Donkey Kong's side, but the creature's tank-like physique allowed him to brush the blow off. The beast turned and attempt to punch Mario once more, and missed by only an inch or so.

The continued to exchange blows in this manner for a few moments, until Mario began to tire, realizing that he had no chance of lasting against the creature's superior stanima. Panting, he ducked under a hook punch as sweat dripped off his brow. Just as he was about to resign to his loss, an idea struck him. He stood upright, and swung his wooden mallet in a wide arc. It flew through the surrounding flames for a moment, catching fire itself. Donkey Kong leapt back to avoid the strike, but the mallet still made contact with his tie, catching it on fire. The ape, frightened by the flame, frantically patted his tie until it died down. He sighed in relief, but then his ears caught a loud yelling. He looked up to see Mario leaping at him, swinging his mallet downward. There was no time to move away. The mallet came down upon Donkey Kong's head with crushing force. The beast stumbled forward, and finally fell. Mario stood over his defeated foe, panting. He turned to Pauline and smiled.

"We'd better get out of here." Pauline, who'd been huddled in the corner, watching the fight with fear, nodded her head and climbed to her feet. The two approached the ladder, and Mario began to help the woman down, both being extremely wary of the flames that engulfed the building. The two were stopped suddenly by a terrible pounding, and turned to see Donkey Kong, awake once more and more enraged than ever. He leapt upwards and slammed down right in front of the two, creating a terrible shaking that rattled the ladder loose. He grabbed Pauline violently and roared. Mario lifted his hammer to swing at the monster, but he was knocking away too quickly, landing painfully on the story below.

"MARIO!" Pauline screamed as Donkey Kong beat his chest victoriously.

Mario lay in a heap below them. He had failed. He was going to die. The flames all around him set in a little closer. He felt something at his fingertips. His hammer. His hammer had fallen with him. Not that it would do him any good now. Sweat dripped off by the gallon as he cringed at the flames licking parts of his skin. The beam he lay on was so hot. Hot, and...

"Hey... this piece of the beam... it's loose," Mario stated half-consciously to himself. "That monkey must have cracked the beams with all his jumping around..." an idea filled his head, but did he have enough energy left to do it? It didn't matter. He decided that he would anyway, regardless of whether or not he could. Mustering all that was left of his strenght, he got to his feet, lifted his hammer into the air, and swung it downwards on the cracked portion of beam, causing it to fracture completely. A small piece of the beam fell to the story below, severing it. Looking ahead, he saw a second crack in the beam. Half-conscious, he limped towards it slowly and repeated the process. His memory of the rest of the night was lost.

At the top of the building, Donkey Kong continued to beat his chest, as Pauline wept for her boyfriend's apparent death. The two were both jostled by a sudden rumble. The entire building began to shake. Then, all of a sudden, a large section of the beam began to fall. Donkey Kong, in his surprise, lost his grip on Pauline, who just barely managed to grab onto a small piece of the beam which managed to stay in place. She peaked over the edge as she watched Donkey Kong, as well as about seven or eight beams, fall to the ground. She heard fire engines off in the distance, and decided that it would be best to stay put.

The strange, diminutive man in a robe looked on from a hill, far away, the flaming building standing out against the night sky.

"When the time comes to stand up and defend what you love, few rise to the challenge. Few are brave enough to sacrifice themselves to The Flame in order to ensure that others will live. Brave, selfless, resiliant. These are the traits of a Warrior of the Star." A breeze picked up, blowing the small man's robe. Spores flew out from underneath of it into the wind. He grinned.

"He's perfect."


End file.
